12/22/2015

You know, 2015 has been a surprisingly good year for movies! Aside from the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" juggernaut that broke every single box office record ever last week, we've seen tons of other great films this year, like my top five - including "Creed," "Ex Machina," and "Mad Max: Fury Road." But before you saw this year's movies, you watched their trailers - for better and for worse.

So what trailers worked so well this year that you preordered your tickets seconds after sneaking the video during work hours? And which trailers kept dollars in your pocket? Read on for the three best and three worst movie trailers of 2015.

The three best trailers of 2015:

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

Joss Whedon nearly killed himself making "The Avengers" sequel "Age of Ultron," but you wouldn't know it from the creepy, eerie, wonderful trailer, which used that bizarre cover of Pinocchio's "I've Got No Strings" to excellent effect. Plus, practically everyone gets a major moment in this trailer, from our glimpse of Scarlet Witch's time in the Red Room to that mega-destructive fight between the Hulk and Iron Man. The full "Age of Ultron" had some pacing issues and too many subplots, but in the trailer, that haunting shot of Captain America's broken shield - that is some excellent shit right there.CREED

Any doubts you may have had about "Creed" should have disappeared immediately with the film's first trailer, which showcased its amazing, well-rounded cast - AVON BARKSDALE, YOU GUYS, AVON BARKSDALE! - and managed to convey the tone and atmosphere without giving too much plot away. That shot of Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, leaning up against a wall covered with posters of his father Apollo, or that clip of Adonis and Sylvester Stallone's Rocky pounding away on the bag together - those are gold moments in a movie that would deliver in almost every way.

MAGIC MIKE XXL

Oh, I'm sorry. You DON'T want to watch Channing Tatum get down to "Pony" again, using an array of power tools? Get the fuck out of here then.

The three worst trailers of 2015:

ALOHA

I've seen Cameron Crowe's "Aloha," and I've reviewed Cameron Crowe's "Aloha," and I've thought numerous times about Cameron Crowe's "Aloha," and I still can't tell you what the fuck this movie is about. That's the same problem that the film's marketing effort ran into, with an unclear trailer and increasingly desperate commercials and TV spots that did nothing to convey the purpose of "Aloha." It flopped amazingly, and given that this was their trailer, that's not surprising at all.

BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN

The DC Comics cinematic universe really needs to catch up to the new world order of Marvel, but did they really think they could do it with this second "Batman vs. Superman" trailer? This is the entire goddamn movie! A constant complaint about movie trailers is that they give away far, far too much, and this latest trailer for "Batman vs. Superman" suffers wholly from that issue. What would be the point of paying to see the movie once you've seen this spot? Just unnecessary. (Also, "I thought she was with you" is pretty much the most sexist and undermining thing you can say about goddamn Wonder Woman, so thanks so much, Zack Snyder.)

GODS OF EGYPT

You want whitewashed casting, terrible-looking CGI, and the shoddiest wigs since Kate Mara's hairpiece in "Fantastic Four"? Then "Gods of Egypt" is for you! Try not to die laughing. This is Hollywood in 2015, dear readers, and it is pathetic.